Horseshoe



(No Modem J. MURPHY. HORSESHO'E.

No. 427,183. Patented May 6, 1890.

avwe'nboz m 1 W \S m M Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JOHN MURPHY, OF MALONE, NElV YORK.

HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,183, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed IE'ebruaryZB, 1887. Serial No. 229,208. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malone, in the county of Franklin and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in horseshoes; and it consists in a certain novel construction hereinafter described, having mulate dirt, and which will be less likely to throw stones and gravel while the horse is trotting rapidly.

A further object is to provide a horsesho which will give a wide and level bearing for the hoof and at the same time afford room for the hoof to expand, and thus prevent it from contracting. Y

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shoe looking at the bottom. Fig. 2 is a perspective view looking at thetop. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates a horseshoe having the narrow fiat bearing-rim B around the outer lower edge, the portion of the shoe within the rim being beveled upwardly, as seen at D, thus giving the shoe a concave form on the under side, while the upper side 0 is fiat and broad to give a firm bearing for the hoof. The beveled portion D meets the flat upper side 0 to form an edge E on the inner side of the shoe.

D are the perforations for the usual nails, which perforations are formed in the rim B of the shoe and shaped to prevent the heads of said nails from slipping through and of such a depth that when the nails are driven home their heads will come flush with the rim, thus presenting a smooth unbroken surface, which contacts with the ground and provides a firm support for the horse.

In shoes having the slit or crease to receive the securin -nails of the shoe the dirt accumulates in the said crease, and it is to avoid the possibility of such accumulations of matter that I form perforations in the rim B. It

is obvious that the said perforations being filled by the heads of the nails, there is no possibility of dirt clinging permanently to the shoe; also, the horseshoes heretofore made have been formed with the upper and lower faces of the same size, thus leaving an angle on the upper inner side, which angle is very apt to catch stones and gravel on the road and throw them in the face of the driver, especially when driving rapidly. It is my intention to have a broad bearing for the hoof and also to give sufficient bearing on the under side of the shoe and yet to cut away all unnecessary metal and do away altogether with the said angle. Therefore I form my shoe with the broad upper surface, the narrow rim-bearing on the under side, with all superfluous metal cut away, and beveled from the inner edge of the said rim-bearing B to the inner upper edge E of the shoe.

I thus provide a trotting-shoe which will not catch stones and gravel and throw the same in the face of the driver and against the body of the horse, thereby causing him to break and leave his feet while in a race, as there are no corners or angles, as in an ordinary shoe, in which the stones or dirt can lodge, and they obtain no hold on the beveled portion of my shoe, but slip readily off the same.

It will be seen that l have provided a shoe which is very light and which will allow the horse to pick up hisfeet clean and easy, although the track may be muddy and heavy. The rim of my shoe also holds the foot where it is placed on the ground and prevents its slipping, and the under surface of the rim being smooth and unbroken the horse is enabled to twist his foot around on the floor of the stable without straining the cords and muscles of his legs. The shoe sets squarely against the ground and against the hoof, so that the foot will be placed flatly against the ground and twisting of the ankle will be prevented.

This shoe was especially designed by me for racing purposes, where lightness is the desideratuln. I lay especial stress on the construction of a shoe without a crease for the nails, for in my shoe the nails are sunk even with the fall or rim of the shoe, and in use the horse strikes on the said rim B and directly against the heads of the nails.

extending from the said rim to the upper o bearing-surface, and the nail-holes passed through the rim, the outer ends of the said holes being of such size and shape as to permit of thenails being driven in flush with the rim, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN MURPHY. Witnesses:

J OHN P. KELLAS, O. O. W. TAYLOR. 

